Second Chances
by Arline
Summary: This is the sequel of We meet again. Jess arrives back in SH and Rory goes to Yale. It's my version of the 4th season (with Jess in it as you can see!) CHAPTER 4 IS UP!
1. Back where we belong

A/N Hey, everyone!!! Thanks for all your reviews for We Meet Again, they really mean the world to me. And it was your reviews that made me decide to actually make a sequel. I hope you guys like this first chapter (which can also be seen as the 7th ). Please tell me if you like it and I promise to update at least once a week (this is my final year at high school, so it's gonna be a busy year, but I'll try!!).  
  
The title of the story is Second Chances for now, but it might chance during the story,  
  
On with the story, enjoy!  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own the Gilmore Girls or any of the characters (if you sue me it would be of little use, because I'm practically broke!).  
  
Chapter 1: Back where we belong  
  
Lorelai: 'Finally, we're home!'  
  
Rory: 'Hello house, I've missed you.'  
  
Lorelai: 'I hope I can still open the door.'  
  
Rory: 'Why wouldn't you?'  
  
Lorelai: 'Because of all the mail, we are tremendously popular in Stars Hollow, remember? And I'm sure we got lost of postcards from friends who've spend this summer in Japan or Los Angeles or Europe.'  
  
Rory: 'But we don't have any friends who've been there.'  
  
Lorelai: 'No, but just think about it, so much mail it takes you three days to read all of them.'  
  
Rory: 'Tiring.'  
  
Lorelai: 'Fun.'  
  
Rory: 'Just open the door.'  
  
Lorelai opens the door and sees exactly ten envelopes on their doormat.  
  
Lorelai: 'Talk about disappointment.'  
  
Rory: 'Well, at least we don't have three days of mail-reading to look forward to.'  
  
Lorelai: 'I guess.'  
  
Rory: 'Hey, now that we're home we could go to Luke's.'  
  
Lorelai: 'Yeah, and since we've been away for so long, I can bug him extra, you know. Annoy him till he gets so mad he starts doing that dishcloth- throwing- thingie.'  
  
Rory: 'Alright, but don't be upset when he refuses to feed us.'  
  
They walk outside towards Luke's diner.  
  
Lorelai: 'Luke would never do that. He knows we depend on him, without him we would starve to death.  
  
Rory: 'Correction, you would starve to death. I'd be so smart to run to the supermarket.'  
  
Lorelai: 'Nobody can live on Pop-tarts, sweety.'  
  
Rory: 'Why not?'  
  
Lorelai: 'Don't know actually, we should try it some time.'  
  
They arrived at Luke's and opened the door. They entered and saw Luke standing at the counter, as always, cleaning it.  
  
Lorelai: 'Hey Luke, did ya miss us?'  
  
Luke: 'Hello Lorelai, Rory.'  
  
Rory: 'Hey, Luke.'  
  
Luke: 'How was your vacation?'  
  
Rory: 'It was great, we had a blast.'  
  
They sat down at the counter and Luke gave them two fresh cups of coffee.  
  
Lorelai: 'So, you haven't answered my question yet.'  
  
Luke: 'What question?'  
  
Lorelai: 'The one I just asked you.'  
  
Luke: 'Again, what question.'  
  
Lorelai: 'Did you miss us?'  
  
Luke: 'You mean, did I miss you nagging me every morning for food I don't serve, or coming here every day for dinner and demand a special service I have never ever given you.'  
  
Lorelai: 'Dirty.'  
  
Luke: 'You know that's not what I meant.'  
  
Lorelai: 'What did you mean?'  
  
Luke: 'You always want your food right away-.'  
  
Lorelai: 'That's because I'm always hungry and when I don't get my food right away I might faint.'  
  
Rory thought that they were back where they started. They were always having a discussion, her mom and Luke. Didn't they know that they got along so well and that it might not be such a bad idea to admit they liked each other? She laughed. Luke telling Lorelai that he likes her. That would never happen, Luke's definitely not a man who's eager to tell a woman he's having feelings for her. Besides, he's way too afraid Lorelai will laugh at him. And Lorelai.well, she probably doesn't even realize she likes him so much. Them getting together might take a long time.  
  
Lorelai: 'Rory, honey, snap back, will ya?'  
  
Rory: 'Huh, what? I'm sorry. I was just thinking about something.'  
  
Lorelai: 'Well instead of thinking about that mystery something, think of what you'll have.'  
  
Rory: 'Have? Oh, you mean to eat. I'll have some pancakes.'  
  
Luke: 'Okay. You Lorelai?'  
  
Lorelai: 'Let me see. I would like some chocolate chipped pancakes with extra chocolate sauce poured over them with some of those delicious coffee beans on the side.'  
  
Luke: 'I don't serve that.'  
  
Lorelai: 'You do now.'  
  
Luke: 'I'm not making that, I'll give you regular pancakes, just like all the other customers.'  
  
Lorelai: 'Why are you being so unfair?'  
  
'Here they go again. Well, this may take a while', Rory thought.  
  
Rory: 'Mom, I'm gonna take a walk, I'll be back before the pancakes are ready.'  
  
Lorelai: 'Sure sweetie, now listen, Luke-.'  
  
Rory walked outside and started walking around town. She had to get away out of that diner for a second. So much memories were there, a lot of them included Jess and he was one of the last persons she wanted to think about right now, because it hurt so much. But not thinking about him hurt even more, so she was thinking about him a lot. She really had to start thinking about other things and soon she'd start going to Yale. Then she'd have plenty of stuff to take her mind off of Jess. She'd be buried in homework, doing research and attending classes and she wouldn't have time to think about something else other than college. It was a comforting thought, because thinking about Jess made her crazy, she kept saying to herself over and over again 'I'm never gonna see him again', and the sadness that followed was excruciating.  
  
'I'm never gonna see him again', Rory said out loud.  
  
'See who never again?' she heard a voice behind her. Rory turned around and her heart skipped a beat when she saw him. She didn't expect to see him here at all.  
  
Rory: 'Dean, I thought you moved out of Stars Hollow?'  
  
Dean: 'Yeah, Lindsay and I are moving out, but we still have some stuff to take care of and since it's still vacation we're staying at my house.'  
  
Rory: 'Oh, that's nice.'  
  
Dean: 'Yeah. So.how was Miami.'  
  
Rory: 'Great, it was great.'  
  
Dean: 'Good. I'm glad you had a good time.'  
  
There was an uncomfortable silence where they stood looking at each other, not quite knowing what to say.  
  
Rory: 'Listen, I gotta get going. My pancakes are probably ready.'  
  
Dean: 'Yeah, me too. Lindsay is probably wondering what's taking me so long.'  
  
Rory: 'Bye.'  
  
Dean: 'Bye. I'll see you around.'  
  
They turned around and walk away in the opposite directions.  
  
'Wow, that was weird', Rory thought. Seeing Dean so suddenly was quite unexpected. Not that she had any problems with seeing Dean, but every time she thought about him and Lindsay getting married she couldn't help thinking 'that could've been me'. She could have been the one Dean proposed to and that idea gave her the shivers. She entered Luke's and saw that Lorelai was rambling about something and Luke was pretending to listen, but Rory could see he was just watching Lorelai, observing her while she was talking.  
  
Rory: 'I'm back.'  
  
She sat down next to Lorelai and started eating the pancakes Luke put in front of her.  
  
Lorelai: 'So, Luke, how was your vacation?'  
  
Luke: 'It was good. I spend some time fishing, I read a little.'  
  
Lorelai: 'You read something? You never read.'  
  
Luke: 'For your information Lorelai, I do read.'  
  
Lorelai: 'What did you read.'  
  
Luke: 'A book.'  
  
Lorelai: 'What kind of book.'  
  
Luke: 'A book about certain types of fishing.'  
  
Lorelai: 'That's not a real book.'  
  
Luke: 'Well, it has a lot of pages with letters printed on them and they're bundled together, so I think it's a book.'  
  
Lorelai: 'Yeah, about fishing. Sounds real interesting.'  
  
Rory: 'Says the woman who tried to read all the books they had in the library about fishing.'  
  
Lorelai: 'Hey, I was just reading some background information on how to fish for my date, alright.'  
  
Rory: 'Still. You did.'  
  
Lorelai: 'I'm still saying it doesn't count.'  
  
Rory: 'I'm still saying it does.'  
  
Lorelai: 'Well, that's your prerogative as a stubborn teenager.'  
  
Rory: 'Thank you.'  
  
Lorelai: 'You're welcome.'  
  
They both started eating their food again. In a matter of seconds their plates were empty and Luke refreshed their coffee.  
  
Lorelai: 'Hey Luke, now that Jess is gone, who's gonna help you run the diner?'  
  
Luke: 'I think I can manage on my own, if not, I'm sure Ceasar can put in a few extra hours a week.'  
  
Rory: 'Speaking of Jess, did you happen to hear something from him since his last call?'  
  
Luke: 'No, he hasn't called or anything. God knows where that boy is.'  
  
Lorelai: 'He's probably as far away from Stars Hollow as he can be.'  
  
Luke: 'Knowing Jess, he probably is.'  
  
How very wrong they both were. 


	2. No hard feelings

Chapter 2: No hard feelings  
  
All the way on the plane he was feeling this weird emotion he couldn't quite analyze. He guessed he was just anxious to get there, but also a little apprehensive, because he didn't know what kind of welcome he'd get. Luke would probably be not so happy to see him, but he'd listen to what he had to say. Once he heard the decisions he'd made he would probably take him back in, wouldn't he? And then there was Rory. He was not sure how she'd react. Sure, she told him she wished he'd come back, but if things really came to it, he didn't know if that's really what she wanted. She would have a very busy life with Yale and all of that stuff and he'd be in Stars Hollow, working most of the time in the diner. If Luke would let him of course. But there was no turning back now, he spend most of his savings on his plane ticket and he had just enough money to take the bus from Hartford to Stars Hollow. Man, he really was feeling weird about going back. He never thought he'd go back to Stars Hollow on his own free will, but here he was, sitting in a plane, flying back to the place he hated and loved the most, because Rory lived there. She wouldn't live there for much longer though. Two weeks from now she'd start attending Yale and then she'd be home in the weekends, and if he was lucky she'd have some time to spend with him, because she would probably want to spend as much time with Lorelai as possible. There was another problem, Lorelai.He was sure she was gonna kill him or at least make several attempts. She'd be furious when she'd see him again and that was exactly the reason why he and Rory decided not to tell Lorelai Jess was in Miami too. He had a hard time coming, but the thing is, he wouldn't have wanted any other way.  
  
As his plane landed, Jess calculated the time the bus drive would take. If all went well, he'd arrive in Stars Hollow around eleven o'clock. Perfect. At that time the diner would be closed, most of the residents of Stars Hollow would be inside so he didn't have to avoid people while walking to Luke's diner where Luke would probably be getting ready to sleep. He sure hoped Luke wasn't asleep already, because that would mean he had to wake Luke up. And since Luke was a deep sleeper that would involve making a lot of noise and risking waking half of Stars Hollow while trying to get Luke to open his eyes. Fingers crossed.  
  
He checked the bus schedule and saw there was a bus going to Stars Hollow in fifteen minutes. The bus was already there. He paid for his ticket and got in the bus. He found a seat in the back and he grabbed the book out of his back pocket he started reading on the plane. He was reading 'On the Road' by Jack Kerouac and in a matter of seconds he was traveling with the main character through America. After a while the bus started to move and Jess looked outside. It was dark and he could see light emanating from the thousands of houses in Hartford. He could see himself in the window. He ran his fingers through his hair and suddenly had a flashback. Rory used to run her fingers through his hair every time they kissed. The thought of their last kiss made the weird feeling he had even stronger and for a minute it filled his whole body. He couldn't wait to see her again. Soon, soon he'd see her again.  
  
The bus stopped and Jess pulled his duffel bag on his back and stepped on the sidewalk. 'Just like the first time I arrived here', he thought. He was right, there was nobody on the street and feeling a little more at ease he walked to the diner where the lights were still on to his surprise. He stopped in front of the window, looking inside he saw Luke cleaning the counter and putting the coffee cups back on the shelve. He walked to the door and took a deep breath. He opened the door and walked inside. Luke had just dived under the counter so he didn't see him entering, but he heard the little bell jingle when Jess entered.  
  
Luke: 'We're closed.'  
  
Jess: 'I know.'  
  
Luke recognized Jess' voice and tried to stand up straight, but hit his head on the counter.  
  
Luke: 'Ouch.'  
  
He put the dishcloth he was using to clean the counter to his head to ease his pain.  
  
Jess: 'You alright?'  
  
Luke: 'Yeah, I'm alright.'  
  
The fact that Jess was standing in front of him didn't quite get through to him. A little sentence was repeating itself in his head, 'Jess is here', and finally it got through to him.  
  
Luke: 'JESS, WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING HERE?'  
  
Jess: 'Geez, Uncle Luke, that's not the welcome I was expecting.'  
  
Luke: 'Cut the crap, Jess, and tell me what on earth you're doing here!'  
  
Jess: 'I'm back.'  
  
Luke: 'I can see that, but why?'  
  
Jess: 'I had nowhere else to go.'  
  
He didn't want to have to say it, but he didn't think Luke would settle for much less than that.  
  
Luke: 'If you had nowhere else to go you shouldn't have taken off in the first place.'  
  
Jess: 'Look, I was angry okay, I didn't know what to do.'  
  
Luke: 'So you just took off. Have you got any idea what you've caused by that?'  
  
Jess: 'Well, actually-.'  
  
Luke: 'And you didn't just walk away from me, but you ran away from Rory too. I'm not sure she'll ever forgive you. Hell, I wouldn't blame her if she refuses to see you again. And Lorelai, wow, you've got something coming there. She's not gonna be happy when she sees that you're back. I'm so gonna be there when she enters the diner and sees you here. Wow, you back in Stars Hollow. You sure nobody put a gun to your head and made you get on the bus?'  
  
Jess: 'Are you saying I can stay?'  
  
Luke: 'Well, -.'  
  
Jess: 'You said, 'when she enters the diner and she sees you here'. Does that mean I can stay?'  
  
Luke: 'For now, yes. But you and I have certainly got some issues we need to discuss. For instance school.'  
  
Jess: 'I'm not going back to Stars Hollow High.'  
  
Luke: 'It's part of the agreement, the former one and this one, take it or leave it.'  
  
Jess: 'I said I'm not going back to Stars Hollow High, -.'  
  
Luke: 'Get out.'  
  
Jess: 'But I'm gonna go to evening school and finish High School there.'  
  
Luke: 'Okay, don't get out.'  
  
Jess: 'So, we have an agreement?'  
  
Luke: 'Depends. What are you gonna do during the day?'  
  
Jess: 'I'm sure I can get back my job at Wal-Mart and help you out with the diner.'  
  
Luke: 'Just so I'm not mistaken, you're Jess, right? Jess Mariano, the stubborn eighteen-year-old who hates school, work and living in Stars Hollow?'  
  
Jess: 'Yeah, last time I checked.'  
  
Luke: 'Good. Now, get your ass upstairs. Tomorrow it's gonna be early since I'm making you open up.'  
  
Jess: 'Didn't expect it to be any other way.'  
  
He pushed away the curtain and walked upstairs, smiling.  
  
Luke stood in the diner, watching Jess walk upstairs, trying to figure out what the hell just happened.  
  
THE NEXT DAY  
  
Lorelai: 'Rory, come one, I have to get to the Inn early today.'  
  
Rory: 'You go ahead, I'm gonna need some more time.'  
  
Lorelai: 'Alright, but I'm not gonna wait forever for you. In thirty minutes I'm gonna go to work.'  
  
Rory: 'Okay, see you at Luke's.'  
  
Lorelai walked out of the house towards Luke's diner.  
  
Jess was taking the orders from two customers and looked out the window. From where he was standing he could see Lorelai coming. 'Shit', he thought, 'hell is gonna break loose.'  
  
Lorelai hadn't noticed him yet when she stepped inside and he tactically turned his back towards her so hopefully she wouldn't notice him. He could see Luke was heading toward Lorelai. Man, he was always so quickly at her table, didn't she know Luke had the hots for her? Jess shrugged, Luke would figure things out for himself.  
  
Luke: 'Jess, get Lorelai some pancakes.'  
  
Jess' body tightened up after hearing that sentence. All harm was done now, Lorelai knew he was back.  
  
Lorelai: 'JESS, WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING HERE?'  
  
Jess walked over to Lorelai, realizing he had no other choice but to confront what was bound to happen anyway.  
  
Jess: 'People seem to be pretty unanimous about that.'  
  
Luke: 'Jess, don't get smart.'  
  
Lorelai: 'Since when are you back?'  
  
Jess: 'Last night.'  
  
Lorelai: 'Why did you come back? Did you hurt enough feelings wherever you were and decided to come back again and trash other people's lives?'  
  
Luke: 'Lorelai, come on.'  
  
Jess really didn't like Lorelai making a scene. All the customers were looking at them and Jess started to get angry. He threw his dishcloth on an empty table and went to get his coat.  
  
Lorelai: 'Hey, where are you going? I'm not done talking to you.'  
  
Jess: 'I'm taking my break.'  
  
He walked outside and could just hear Luke yell 'Be back in fifteen minutes', just before he slammed the door.  
  
Inside Lorelai was projecting her frustration on Luke.  
  
Lorelai: 'How could you let him stay here?'  
  
Luke: 'Look, he had nowhere else to go. What was I supposed to do, make him sleep on the street?'  
  
Lorelai: 'That's not such a bad idea after how he treated you and everybody else around here.'  
  
Luke: 'I'm still responsible for him, I have to take care of him.'  
  
Lorelai: 'He's a big boy now. How is he gonna support himself anyway? He can't stay with your forever.'  
  
Luke: 'He's gonna go to evening school. That's why I let him stay, so he can finish High School.'  
  
Lorelai: 'Oh my God! I just realized.'  
  
Luke: 'What?'  
  
Lorelai: 'RORY!"  
  
A/N Well, that's it for this chapter, sorry I didn't post it earlier but you know those damn teachers, always trying to give you as much homework as they can!!! Oh, I absolutely love the reviews, thank you guys! 


	3. Hey, there, I'm back

Disclaimer: I don't own the Gilmore Girls or any of the characters  
  
Chapter 3: 'Hey, there, I'm back'  
  
Rory had just combed her hair and she got her coat and went outside. She knew her mother was in the diner waiting for her, but she had to walk to the bridge. Just for a second, so that she'd be a little closer to  
  
Jess. She went to the bridge sometimes when she was feeling particularly lonely and this way she could just sit and relive all of the fantastic moments she had spend with him. Most of the time she ended up feeling a lot less lonely. Last night she had a dream about Jess. He was in her room, sitting on her bed, watching her sleep. In her dream she woke up and he was there. She hugged him and he held her tight. When she woke up and didn't see Jess sitting on her bed she felt empty and now she was in desperate need of feeling his presence, even though she knew he was thousands of miles away.  
  
She was picturing him sitting on the bridge, reading a book, completely concentrated. She had a very realistic imagination. Sometimes she was pretending he was standing in front of her and he got so real she stretched out her hand to touch him. Only then she realized he wasn't really there.  
  
She started to cross the bridge, still seeing the imaginary Jess sitting there, reading his book. She stopped a few feet away from him and kept her eyes on him. Suddenly he looked up and stared at her.  
  
Jess: 'Rory.'  
  
Rory just stood there, not really understanding what was going on. This was the first time her imagination was talking to her and he was so real she thought she was going crazy.  
  
Rory: 'Oh my God.'  
  
Jess stood up, slightly amused by her rather late reaction. He could see she was still processing it all.  
  
Rory: 'YOU'RE HERE!! You're really here! I thought I'd never ever see you again after we said goodbye in Miami and when I saw you I just thought my mind was playing tricks on me, and when you said my name I thought I was going insane, but I'm not, 'cause you're really here!!'  
  
She stepped forward and threw his arms around him. She hugged him really tight, the way she'd been hugging hi in her dream. He held her tight and whispered in her ear.  
  
Jess: 'I missed you so much. I just had to see you again.'  
  
Rory: 'You're staying, right? You're not going away again, are you?'  
  
Jess: 'I'm not going anywhere. I'm staying right here with you.'  
  
They stood there hugging each other, both feeling they never wanted to let the other person go.  
  
Jess: 'I hate to break it to you, but I have to get back.'  
  
Rory: 'Back where?'  
  
Jess: 'The diner.'  
  
Rory: 'Luke is letting you stay?'  
  
Jess: 'Yup.'  
  
Rory: 'Wow.'  
  
Jess: 'Thought so myself.'  
  
Rory: 'Oh my God, my mom's in the diner!'  
  
Jess: 'We had a slightly uncomfortable rendezvous.'  
  
Rory: 'What did she say? How horrible was she?'  
  
Jess: 'She didn't get the time to say a lot, because I went outside to take a break. But I can imagine Luke's having a pretty hard time calming her down.'  
  
Rory: 'I'd better get in there before she starts throwing chairs around.'  
  
They both started to laugh about Lorelai throwing chairs around and then suddenly stopped.  
  
Rory: 'I'm glad you're back.'  
  
Jess: 'You'd better be, otherwise I came all the way her for nothing.  
  
They stared each other in the eyes, feeling a happiness neither one of them was familiar with. Rory ran her fingers through his hair.  
  
'God, his hair feels so good', she thought, 'And he smells good too, I don't think I'm going to be able to take my eyes off of him. He's so gorgeous.'  
  
'My god, she's beautiful', Jess thought, 'I did the right thing to come back here. It was tough to face Luke and beg him to let me come back, but standing here with her in my arms has made it more than worth it.'  
  
They both leaned forward, very slowly, enjoying the moment, until their lips met and a tingling feeling was running through their bodies. Jess pulled Rory closer to him, pressing his mouth on hers, worshipping her. She gave in to the feeling of desire. She wanted nothing more than sense his body and kissed him with more passion she had ever kissed him before. His hands ran up and down her back and slowly made their way towards her but, but stopped just and inch away, not really knowing how far she would let him go. But she just kept on kissing him and he laid his hands on her but. She kept running her fingers through his hair and touching his neck, knowing she'd cause goosebumps. She like to know he was affected by her. Jess started to plant little kisses in her neck, giving her goosebumps and giving her wonderful shivers.  
  
Jess: 'I missed this.'  
  
Rory: 'I missed this too.'  
  
They kept on kissing for a while until Jess suddenly stopped.  
  
Rory: 'What is it? Is it me?'  
  
Jess: 'No, no of course not. God no, you're amazing. But I really have to get back to the diner. I don't want to piss Luke of on my first day back here.'  
  
Rory: 'Okay, I'll come with you.'  
  
Jess: 'Do you think that's such a good idea? I mean, they'd know we'd talked and your mom might get even angrier than she already is.'  
  
Rory: 'It's okay, I can handle it. Besides, we're gonna have to see each other in public, best get it over with.'  
  
Jess: 'It's your call.'  
  
Rory: 'Let's go.'  
  
IN THE MEAN TIME IN LUKE'S DINER  
  
Lorelai: 'I have to get to Rory, she has to know Jess is back. It would be too much of a shock to her to see him suddenly, back here and all like nothing happened.'  
  
Lorelai was getting ready to leave, but Luke stopped her.  
  
Luke: 'Look, why don't you just wait here. I'm sure Rory will be here any second and Jess won't come back for another ten minutes. We've got time.'  
  
Lorelai: 'I'm not sure, maybe I should-.'  
  
Luke: 'Lorelai, stay here. I'll give you another cup of coffee. Everything will be fine.'  
  
Lorelai: 'I don't know, I mean -.'  
  
Luke: 'And a donut.'  
  
Lorelai: 'Alright, I'll stay. But if this subject ever comes up and Rory gets mad at me I'll tell her you bribed me with food and coffee.'  
  
Luke: 'Whatever.'  
  
He walked to the counter to get Lorelai some fresh coffee. Lorelai was playing with her spoon, turning around every other second to see if Rory was coming.  
  
Luke: 'Here's your coffee.'  
  
Lorelai: 'Thanks.'  
  
Luke: 'You're really not happy that he's here, aren't you?'  
  
Lorelai: 'It's not that I don't want him to be here, I mean, I know he hates living here so that's kinda amusing, I just don't want him to be with Rory. But since this is Stars Hollow isn't really that big a town I know she'll probably see him every day and I just don't want her to feel this pain again she had to deal with when he left her. I mean, I could see her getting better and better every day in Miami and at one point she actually seemed happy. But when it was time we had to get back home, she was turning into the My-boyfriend-just-left-me-Rory because there are just too many memories here. Living in Stars Hollow without Jess is hard enough for her, imagine what it must be like seeing him here every day.'  
  
Luke: 'I know what you mean. I don't want her to get hurt and I'm going to make sure Jess will not be coming within twenty feet of her.'  
  
Lorelai: 'That's sweet of you, but I doubt it'll work since your diner is only twenty feet wide. That basically means he has to stand outside whenever Rory is in here.'  
  
Luke: 'You get my point, he's not coming anywhere near Rory.'  
  
Lorelai: 'Not anywhere near Rory, got it.'  
  
Luke: 'Now, what kind of donut can I bring you?'  
  
Lorelai and Luke both walked to the counter so that Lorelai could pick out a donut. They were standing with their back towards the entrance, so they couldn't see Rory and Jess approaching the diner.  
  
They stood in front of the door, looking at Lorelai touching every donut to check if it was still fresh and Luke standing patiently next to her, waiting for her to finally pick a donut that would satisfy her.  
  
Jess: 'You ready?'  
  
Rory: 'No. You?'  
  
Jess: 'No.'  
  
Rory: 'Here we go.'  
  
She went in first, followed by Jess. The bell above the door jingled and Luke and Lorelai turned around simultaneously.  
  
Luke: 'Jess, you're back. Hi, Rory.'  
  
There was an awkward silence. Lorelai tried to figure out what was going on inside Rory's head. She seemed so calm with Jess being with her. And they arrived here together, she wondered what was said between the two of them. She hoped Rory got rid of a little anger.  
  
Lorelai: 'Rory, sweetie, you alright?'  
  
Rory: 'To tell you the truth, never been better.'  
  
Lorelai walked over to a beaming Rory and took her by her arm. She dragged Rory to their table and made her sit down.  
  
Lorelai: 'Okay, young lady, tell me why are you being like this?'  
  
Rory: 'Like what?'  
  
Lorelai: 'Happy.'  
  
Rory: 'You don't want me to be happy?'  
  
Lorelai: 'No, I want you to be happy, I just want to know why you're happy, since this is not a really good time to be happy.'  
  
Rory: 'Someone died?'  
  
Lorelai: 'Not yet.'  
  
Rory: 'What's that supposed to mean.'  
  
Lorelai: 'Jess is here.'  
  
Rory: 'Really? I hadn't noticed yet.'  
  
Lorelai: 'You're not mad at all?'  
  
Rory: 'I forgave him.'  
  
Lorelai: 'You WHAT?'  
  
Rory: 'I forgave him. That's what people do when they don't hold a grouch to another person anymore.'  
  
Lorelai: 'I know what forgiving means and don't try to be smart on me. I've seen you when he left. You were devastated. And now he's back and you seem completely fine with it.'  
  
Rory: 'That's probably because I am.'  
  
Lorelai: 'LUKE, I need some more coffee.'  
  
Luke came and poured her another cup of coffee.  
  
Luke: 'Everything alright? If you want, Rory, I can send Jess upstairs.'  
  
Rory: 'No, that's fine.'  
  
Luke: 'Alright, but if you want me to, all you have to do is say the word.'  
  
Lorelai: 'I'll say the word.'  
  
Rory: 'Mom, no. Jess can stay. I'm fine with him being here.'  
  
Lorelai: 'Yeah, you made that pretty clear.'  
  
Luke: 'Okay, I'm going back now. Yell if you need anything.'  
  
Rory: 'Thanks, Luke.'  
  
Lorelai: 'Just to get this straight, Jess is here. You are here. You are completely fine with him being here. You forgave him for leaving you without telling you and coming back unannounced, not caring about your feelings.'  
  
Rory: 'That's not the way I would look at it.'  
  
Lorelai: 'Well, explain.'  
  
Rory: 'Okay, he's back and yes, he hurt me so much. But the way I see it, I have two options. The first option is stay mad at him and trying to avoid him whenever I can. But staying mad only makes me feel bad, cause I hate to feel angry and this is Stars Hollow so I can't avoid him. Eventually I will have to face the fact he's here. The second option is forgiving Jess and just moving on with my life, which will lead to me feeling a lot better - since I'm not mad - and I don't have to worry about avoiding him.'  
  
Lorelai: 'Hmm. You figured that out the minute you saw him.'  
  
Rory: 'No. In Miami I threw a couple of what-ifs on my own plate and tried to figure out what I would do if that occasion really should become reality.'  
  
Lorelai: 'And this was one of the what-ifs.'  
  
Rory: 'Exactly.'  
  
Lorelai: 'I can't believe you forgave him.'  
  
Rory: 'Well, I did.'  
  
Lorelai: 'You're like Mother Theresa.'  
  
Rory: 'I beg your pardon?'  
  
Lorelai: 'Are you soliciting to be an angel? 'Cause forgiving him is quite a big step.'  
  
Rory: 'No need for wings.'  
  
Lorelai: 'Who need wings, we've got coffee!'  
  
Rory: 'And donuts.'  
  
So all is well that ends well. Well.for now. Because even though Rory told Lorelai about 'forgiving' Jess, they still have some things coming and it's not going to be easy times for them.  
  
A/N I really hope you liked this chapter. You know, I read all your reviews and they made me write this chapter a lot faster. So give a big round of applause for yourselves!!! Anyway, please review and read the next chapters, I hope you'll enjoy them!!! 


	4. Some time alone

A/N Hey guys, here's another chapter, I sure hope you like it!!!!  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own the Gilmore Girls or any of the characters.  
  
Chapter 4: Some time alone  
  
Luke: 'Jess, we need to talk.'  
  
Jess: 'About what?'  
  
Luke: 'School.'  
  
Jess: 'Why?'  
  
Luke: 'Because I say so. Now sit down.'  
  
Jess: 'Oh boy.'  
  
Jess sat down at the table in the small apartment above the diner. He was in Stars Hollow for seven days now, but barely got the chance to see Rory. The only time he saw her she was in the diner with Lorelai and if Lorelai wasn't there Luke made sure Jess didn't have the chance to even say 'Hello' to Rory. They did share meaningful glances, but those were just not enough. He wanted to hold her again, but for that they had to meet somewhere outside the diner and they never had the change to talk about meeting each other. He hated it and was at the moment not in a good mood.  
  
Luke: 'I've been searching for some good evening schools and I've found one in Hartford. I called and you can start going there next week. Now, you will be there from seven to ten o'clock, every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday night. You will go those three nights, no exceptions.'  
  
Jess: 'Not even when I'm sick?'  
  
Luke: 'Depends on the severity. Mild flu, you're going, headache or stomachache, you're going, sore throat -.'  
  
Jess: 'I'm going.'  
  
Luke: 'Exactly.'  
  
Jess: 'Got it.'  
  
Luke: 'Glad we got that straight.'  
  
Luke walks out of the apartment and Jess stands up and walks to his bed. He starts to read 'Olive Twist' for the seventh time. A couple of pages later he hears Luke calling him.  
  
Luke: 'Jess, get over here!'  
  
Jess sighed and closed his book apprehensively and put it in his back pocket. He got up and went downstairs. He could see the diner wasn't crowded at all, so if Luke didn't need his help waiting on the customers, why did he call him?  
  
Luke: 'I have to get some new tools in Hartford, so I'm going to be out for a while. Can you manage here?'  
  
Jess: 'It's not like I've got something else to do.'  
  
Luke: 'Thanks for the enthusiasm.'  
  
Jess: 'It's my pleasure to please you.'  
  
Luke: 'Make sure the diner still stands when I get back.'  
  
Jess: 'Oh gee, I don't know, I mean, that stove looks rather difficult to handle.'  
  
Luke: 'Bye, Jess.'  
  
He walked out of the diner and Jess got his book from his back pocket to read.  
  
Rory was on her way to the diner when see saw Luke getting in his car. 'Where's Luke going? I hope the diner is still open', she wondered. And then she saw Jess inside. She waited until Luke drove away and ran to the diner. She flung the door open.  
  
Rory: 'We're alone.'  
  
She was panting, so she didn't really now if Jess understood what she just said, so she said it again.  
  
Rory: 'My mom's at the Inn and I saw Luke just leaving. We're alone.'  
  
Jess: 'You sure?'  
  
Rory: 'Positive.'  
  
They walked towards each other and hugged.  
  
Jess: 'I don't like the way it's been for the past week. I can't even say more than two words to you.'  
  
Rory: 'I know, I don't like it either. But it's not like we have a choice or anything.'  
  
Jess: 'Yes, we do.'  
  
Rory: 'I'm not gonna tell my mother we're back, okay? Sometimes I can hear her muttering to herself and quite frequently your name is followed by some serious swearwords I don't like to repeat.'  
  
Jess: 'I just want to be with you more often.'  
  
Rory: 'So do I.'  
  
Jess leaned his forehead against hers.  
  
Jess: 'I missed you.'  
  
He felt her softening in his arms when he kissed her and he could feel his own knees grow weak.  
  
Rory: 'I missed you too.'  
  
Jess: 'So, what do you want to do today?'  
  
Rory: 'I don't know, what are the options?'  
  
Jess: 'Well, Luke is going to be out for a while, said he had to pick up some tools in Hartford -.'  
  
Rory: 'Which will give us at least one hour.'  
  
Jess: 'Exactly. And you said Lorelai was at the Inn, so we have some time alone to spend here, in the diner.'  
  
Rory: 'But there are no customers.'  
  
Jess: 'Well, there's one.'  
  
Rory: 'Right. Well, since I'm a customer, I'd like some coffee and pancakes.'  
  
Jess: 'Okay, I'll get some coffee and pancakes for milady.'  
  
Rory: 'I would be most grateful.'  
  
Jess made a small bow and then turned around to pour Rory some coffee and make her some pancakes.  
  
Rory watched Jess moving around behind the counter and in the kitchen. She loved the way he moved. He was so silent and yet so sure of every move he made. He gave her loads of stares, accompanied by a cheeky wink once in a while. The winks caused a smile on her face and made her somehow feel tremendously happy and content.  
  
Jess: 'There you go.'  
  
He placed a plateful of pancakes in front of Rory and one cup of steaming coffee. Rory grabbed her fork and started eating.  
  
Jess: 'You are really hungry!'  
  
Rory (with her mouth full): 'I haven't eaten anything yet this morning.'  
  
Jess: 'You know, without this diner you would last one week on this earth.'  
  
Rory: 'Who could miss Luke's coffee for one week?'  
  
Jess: 'Not you.'  
  
Rory: 'Definitely not, I need that coffee. It's like my fuel, I need it to get through the day and if I don't get plenty of it, my day is most likely to turn out quite horrible.'  
  
Jess: 'Wanna know what my fuel is?'  
  
Rory: 'Books?'  
  
Jess: 'No.'  
  
Rory: 'Music?'  
  
Jess: 'No.'  
  
Rory: 'Then what?'  
  
Jess: 'You.'  
  
Rory: 'Oh, Jess.'  
  
Rory leaned over the counter to plant a big fat kiss on his lips. He was so sweet to her. He made her feel nothing in his world mattered but her and she liked that. He was so unlike Dean who made her feel his world evolved around her, but more in a pressure kind of way. With Dean she often felt she had no space for herself and that he demanded all of her time. Jess wanted more of her time too, but unlike with Dean, she was willing to give as much of her time to Jess as he wanted her to.  
  
Jess: 'Wow, my tank is almost full again.'  
  
Rory: 'Good. Wouldn't want you to run out of gas.'  
  
Jess: 'Love-gas.'  
  
Rory: 'Right, love-gas.'  
  
Jess walked around the counter and sat down next to Rory.  
  
Jess: 'Next week I'm going to evening school.'  
  
Rory: 'That's great, I mean, you get to finish high school and everything and get your diploma.'  
  
Jess: 'I know. But it means I get to see you less.'  
  
Rory: 'We'll figure something out. Your school is important.'  
  
Jess: 'I know.'  
  
Rory: 'And when I go to Yale, we only have weekends together.'  
  
Jess: 'Let's not talk about that.'  
  
Rory: 'We have to talk about that. I mean, what will happen to our relationship if we only get to see each other on weekends and then we're still under the supervision of two persons who care about nothing but keep us apart?'  
  
Jess: 'We could call.'  
  
Rory: 'Yeah, but that's not enough.'  
  
Jess: 'We could email.'  
  
Rory: 'I guess.'  
  
Jess: 'And maybe I can visit you once in a while.'  
  
Rory: 'That would be great.'  
  
Jess: 'It would be our only chance to see each other.'  
  
Rory: 'Why does this all has to be so complicated?'  
  
Jess: 'They just want what's best for you and think that I'm wrong for you.'  
  
Rory: 'But you're not, you're one of the best things that ever happened to me.'  
  
Jess: 'That's nice to know.'  
  
They both smiled.  
  
Jess: 'When are you leaving Stars Hollow?'  
  
Rory: 'Well, this weekend I'm going to pack my stuff and head off to Yale to install myself there. And Monday I have my introduction-day at Yale and Tuesday I have my first classes.'  
  
Jess: 'So, we have like five days here.'  
  
Rory: 'Yeah, I'm afraid so.'  
  
Jess: 'Why do you have to be so smart?'  
  
Rory: 'Excuse me?'  
  
Jess: 'If you weren't so smart, you wouldn't have to go to Yale.'  
  
Rory: 'Right, blame it on my brains.'  
  
Jess: 'You know what I mean.'  
  
Rory: 'You could have gone to Yale too, you know.'  
  
Jess: 'Don't start talking like that.'  
  
Rory: 'Like what?'  
  
Jess: 'Like someone who's lecturing me.'  
  
Rory: 'I'm not lecturing you, I'm just saying -.'  
  
Jess: 'I'm intelligent, the smartest guy in town, blah, blah, blah.'  
  
Rory: 'But you are!'  
  
Jess: 'If I'm so smart, then how come I can't figure out a way to be with you more often, huh?'  
  
Rory: 'Jess, it's not your fault we don't get to see each other this frequently.'  
  
Jess: 'I know, it's the circumstances.'  
  
Rory: 'Exactly. There's nothing we can do about it. We just have to make the best of it.'  
  
Jess: 'You know, we've got something in common with Romeo and Juliet.'  
  
Rory: 'In love with someone we're not supposed to be in love with.'  
  
Jess: 'Family disagreeing with the other party.'  
  
Rory: 'It would be complete if Luke and Lorelai started to hate each other.'  
  
Jess: 'But that would never happen.'  
  
Rory: 'No, my mom likes Luke too much for that.'  
  
Jess: 'And Luke likes Lorelai way too much to hate her.'  
  
Rory: 'Yeah.'  
  
Jess: 'He loves her, you know.'  
  
Rory: 'Yes, I know. She loves him too.'  
  
Jess: 'They both just don't know it themselves yet.'  
  
Rory: 'Shame.'  
  
A/N So.You Like? I hope you do, please leave a review to let me know. And I'm thinking of making this story part JavaJunkie as well, but only if you guys want me too. So please tell me, yes JavaJunkie? No JavaJunkie? Thanks!!! 


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